The Zoo

With the kids getting older I'm finding it easier to do spontaneous things with them on a more regular basis.  Of course, this will all change once the new baby arrives in October!  But for now it's nice to wake up in the morning and make an announcement about something fun that we're going to do, without needing to spend days in advance preparing for it!
We woke up to a bright blue, sunny sky yesterday morning.  A quick peek at the Weather Channel told me that the temps were going to climb into the mid 60's, making it a picture perfect Spring day...
I decided it would be a great morning to venture out to the Roger Williams Zoo.  My Mom bought us a family membership (as a gift for the kids baptism) a couple of months ago.  Knowing that the weather was going to be awesome and that most kids would be in school I figured it'd be an absolutely perfect time for us to take the kids, and I KNEW that they'd be super excited to go, too..especially since they've never been before!
I put Tommy on the bus, filled a backpack with sandwiches, crackers and juice, slapped some hats on the kids, grabbed Jim and off we went..
We arrived at the Zoo just minutes after the gates opened - excellent timing as the parking lot was already filling up quickly!  (Apparently there were several field trips going on, but we always seemed to stay one step ahead of the crowd.)
Our morning passed by very quickly, as we explored exhibit after exhibit!  From the Ant Eater to the Elephants, Giraffes to the Seals, the kids were thrilled to see all of the animals on display.  Kyle made sure to read about each and every animal we spotted via the little info box posted at each display.  He really loves turning just about any adventure into a learning experience!!  We took a break at one of the picnic areas along the route and had a picnic style lunch before continuing on.  We were a little rushed, because Jim still had to go to work in the afternoon, but we were able to see most of the attractions.  We spent a total of 2 hours there - but we easily could have spent 4 had we had more time!
We arrived home shortly after 12.  Savannah went right down for her nap, exhausted from the excitement of her morning as well as from having walked so much!  Bella immediately pulled out all of her "zoo animals" (elephants, tigers, giraffes etc) to play with..haha! 
As always it was great to spend so much precious time together as a family!  We all had a wonderful time  :)